The invention relates generally to a mounting assembly for installing/removing a container associated with a mobile vehicle or stationary equipment, and more particularly to a mounting assembly for installing/removing a liquid propane tank associated with a forklift or the like.
Conventional forklifts typically include a vehicle frame, a mast attached to the front end of the vehicle frame, a fork carriage adapted for elevational movement along the mast to raise and lower loads, and a counterweight located at the rear end of the vehicle frame for retaining balance of the forklift as heavyweight loads are lifted up and lowered down. An engine is typically mounted at the center of the vehicle frame and usually is covered with a hood. A driver's seat is typically fixedly secured to the hood and surrounded by an overhead guard which defines a cabin. Many such forklifts are powered by liquid propane and therefore include a liquid propane tank that is removably mounted on a support structure of the counterweight. In order to prevent forklift down time, the propane tank is often replaced before it is completely empty. Since some tanks do not have a fuel gauge, a significant amount of cost can be incurred since useful amounts of propane may be left in the tank upon replacement. Even if a fuel gauge is provided, the dial indicator is not readily viewable by an operator.
The procedure for replacing the propane tank can be a difficult and potentially dangerous task, as the operator must lower the empty fuel tank at a height of about four feet or more to the ground and must lift a full tank from ground to the same height. Empty liquid propane tanks normally weight between about 20 and 50 lbs, while full tanks weigh between about 40 and 90 lbs. With the fuel tank held at chest level or higher, the operator must extend the tank over the counterweight to connect the tank to the support structure. In addition, raising the tank from a vertical position to the installed horizontal position and vice-versa requires twisting action by the operator as well as carefully maneuvering an alignment aperture in the tank with an alignment pin associated with the forklift under heavy loads. The consequential strain on the operator may lead to the risk of injury.